Sewing machine for sewing on pieces of material such as tags



Nov. 26, 1963 K. HEDEGAARD 3,111,920

SEWING MACHINE FOR SEWING ON PIECES OF MATERIAL SUCH AS TAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 16, 196? Kris/en HEDE 6441?.0

Nov. 26, 1963 K. HEDEGAARD 3,

SEWINGMACHINE FOR sswmc on PIECES OF MATERIALSUCH AS TAGS. med July 16, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Knlsven HEDEGAARD fww United States Patent 3,111,920 SEWING MACHINE FOR SEWING ON PIECES OF MATERIAL SUCH AS TAGS Kristen Hedegaard, Gentofte, Denmark, assignor to G. M. Pfatf A.G., Kaiserslautern, Pfalz, Germany Filed July 16, 1962, Ser. No. 209,900 Claims priority, application Germany July 19, 1961 3 Claims. (Cl. 112-104) The present invention relates to sewing machines and is particularly concerned with a machine for sewing on pieces of material in which a series of name tags or the like formed in a continuous ribbon are fed under a raised presser foot at time intervals coinciding with the operating cycle of the machine.

Machines are already known for sewing 0n pieces of material which are equipped with an independent device for the automatic feeding of the ribbon strip as well as with a cutting device. However, such devices have the disadvantage that, besides being of complicated construction, they are only usable with machines which have a frame shaped latch clamp presser foot combined with a work support plate as a required component. The frame shaped foot, in turn, results in the known shortcomings such as the cumbersome inserting of the thin material into the clamp, tearing out of the clamp the piece of material to be sewn on during sewing operations, etc.

Machines having a frame shaped latch clamp foot are also known in combination with the associated work support plate, which have a means for folding in name tags which are not seamed, in addition to an arrangement for feeding a ribbon strip.

In these known machines which involve the shortcomings mentioned above, which result from the framelike construction of the foot, there prevails the additional shortcoming that the ends of the name tags to be sewn on are folded over the top, so that, if one does not want to incur the disadvantage of sewing the name tag with the ends folded in visibly at the top onto the material, the latter must be slid under the presser foot before the name tag is fed in and folded along the edges. From this there results particularly the shortcoming that the bottom thread seam which is known to be relatively unattractive as compared to the upper thread seam comes to rest on the visible top side of the name tag.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a sewing machine having a ribbon feeding device which does not depend on machines having a frame shaped latch clamp foot in combination with an associated material support plate, and which can advantageously be used with machines having merely a single foot which, moreover, can be of plate-like construction, so that the shortcomings described above are obviated.

In accordance with the invention this object is attained in that a feed carriage to which one end of a support plate which carries the ribbon strip is pivotally linked, is slidably arranged in a horizontal guide and that means are provided which in the end position of the feed carriage, after the carriage has been advanced, impart an oblique position to the support plate between the raised presser foot and the stitch plate.

A machine has been disclosed which is provided with a frame-like folding device for sewing on pieces of material where the frame-like latch clamp foot which is combined with an associated material support plate is replaced by a single material presser foot in the form of a plate. Here the ends of the piece of material to be sewn on are folded in over the top instead of underneath as was the conventional manner heretofore. This is effected by the use of a folding template retractable in a known manner below the material presser foot and a material folding clamp movable vertically up and down relative to the material "ice support surface of the folding template and past its folding edges.

In the event that the invention is to be incorporated also in a sewing machine having that type of folding device, then it is necessary that in the end position of the feeding carriage and after termination of the carriage advance the support plate assumes an oblique position between the raised presser foot and the folding template, and furthermore a holding member is provided which up to the end of the carriage advancement holds down the folding template, and a vertically disposed rocking lever linked to the folding template which absorbs the force of the holding member, and which has a downwardly extending lever arm which extends into the last section of the path of movement of a release pin which is secured to the carnage.

In order to provide for frictionless insertion of the obliquely positioned support plate between the raised presser foot and the template which is operatively connected thereto, it is a further object of the invention that the operating thrust of the holding member and the advancing movement of the carriage are effected simul taneously by two operating cams, which are arranged together upon a controlled member that executes the switch ing movement.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification with reference to the drawings which show an embodiment of the invention and in which FIG. 1 illustrates the sewing machine in perspective with the ribbon advancing means in position prior to commencement of the insertion operation;

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration showing the means which act upon the folding template and the presser foot;

FIG. 3 illustrates the position of the ribbon advancing means after an insertion operation where the folding template has already been withdrawn;

FIG. 4 illustrates the position of the feeding means immediately after a feeding operation with the folding template still held down in position; and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective illustration of the machine with one cutter component in withdrawn position.

The standard 1 of the machine carries the material support arm 2 with the stitch plate 2a and the machine arm 3 which terminates in the head '4. The end of a worm gear shaft 5 which transmits the control operation extends from the standard 1, and to which a control disc 6 is secured which transmits impulses to the elements which effect the feeding in a known manner.

FIG. 2 shows the presser foot lifting bar 7 which operates in a known manner and which for lifting the presser foot 8 is provided with an angular member 7a which engages a stud 9 secured to a slide member 10 which carries an offset trunnion 11 that operates in a known manner together with the presser foot 8 which is in the form of a plate. The sliding member 10 is guided in the head 12a of the yoke shaped material presser carrier 12 that is controlled by the control disc 6. A further sliding member 13 is guided in the head member 12a which carries the ends of two sliding bars 15 at its angularly offset portion 13a, which bars are connected with each other at the other end by a connecting member 16.

A sliding member 17 is mounted upon the slide bars 15 to the lower end of which a folding template 18 is secured which is angularly offset in two directions. The sliding member 17 is supported during the folding operation by a pressure spring 20 which is biased against the connecting member 16 and held in the position illustrated in FIG. 2, where the folding template 18 comes to rest below the presser foot 8. In this position a force transmitting connection is obtained between the folding template 18 and the material presser foot 0 by means of a 3 pull spring 21 which at one end is connected to a stud 14 secured to the offset 13a of the slide member 13 and at the other end to a connecting bar 22 which in turn is linked to the material presser support 12 (not shown in FIG. 2) and to the slide member 10.

The slide member 17 has an angular member 23 provided with an aperture through which a draw bar 24 projects which engages the angular member 23'by means of a ball shaped end 24a in the advanced position in FIG. 2 of the folding template shown in FIG. 2. The draw bar 24 is pivotally supported at its other end upon a rocking lever 25 (FIG. 1) which is supported for pivotal movement about the stud 25a on the machine arm and is pivotally connected by way of a draw bar 26 to a switch lever 27 which operates in a known manner.

The head member 12a of the material presser support 12 is covered by a plate 28 (FIG. 2)'which has a recess 28a through which extends a stud 19 which is secured to the slide member 13. This stud 19 is disposed in the bifurcated end 29a of a lever 29 that is pivotally supported for movement about a stud 2% (FIG. 3) secured to the plate 28. The lever 29 carries a tilting' lever30 which is pivotally supported for movement about a threaded stud 30a, the upper end of which is pressed against a stud 32 secured to lever 29 by means of a leaf spring 31 on a connecting member 43a to be described in detail further on (FIG. 4).

As furthermore illustrated in FIG. 4, the holding member 33 in the form of a stud rests against the upper edge of lever 30 and extends through aguide means 34 pivotally supported on the machine head 4 and linked at its upper end to one arm of an angular lever 35 at 35b pivotally supported for movement about a bolt 35a secured to the head 4. Between this connecting point 35b and the guide means 34 a pressure spring 33a is placed about the holding member 33 by means of which the angular lever 35 is continuously pressed with the roller 35c at its end against a control member 36 formed as the end of the armature of an electromagnet 57.

The control member 36 has two switching cams 38, 39 into the path of movement of the latter of which extends the roller 350 of the angular lever 35. The switching cam 38 is the form of a disc and a stud 41b on an angular lever 41 extends into its path of movement in upward direction. The angular lever 41 is arranged for pivotal movement about a support stud 40 which in turn is secured to a lateral extension 28b of the plate 28. The stud 41b is continuously pressed by means of a torsion spring disposed about the stud 40 against the disc shaped cam 38. The angular lever 48 is provided at its other end with an elongated slot 41a into which extends a stud' 42a of a carriage 42 in the form of a sliding member. This carriage 42 is slidably disposed upon two slide rails 43 which at one end are secured to a block 280 mounted upon plate 28 and which at the other end are connected to one another by a connecting member 430.

The carriage 42 has a threaded bolt 44 at its lower end to which a supporting arm 45 is pivotally connected. A block 46 is connected to said arm by means of a screw 45a, and it carries at its lower side the end of a support plate 48 which carries the ribbon strip 47. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the support plate 42 has turned up guide edges 48a which at the entrance end of the support plate 48 are connected with one another (FIG. The guide edges 48:: extend parallel to one another with a space therebetween which is somewhat greater than the length of the small side of the presser foot 8. Furthermore, for guiding the ribbon 47 a guide wire 48b is secured to the insertion end of the support plate. After each name tag a strip 47a is woven into the tag strip 47 transversely of the strip, which serves a purpose to be described hereinafter.

The block 46 is furthermore provided at its upper end with a pin 49 which has an angularly ofiset end pivotally supporting a spring biased carrier 50 having a feeler strip a which continuously rests on the ribbon 47. In addition to the aforementioned stud 42a the carriage 42 is also provided with an actuating stud 42b which is arranged at the level of the lower arm of the double armed lever 30.

The fastening screw 45a has a rearwardly extending projection 45a (FIG. 5) which with the carriage 42 in withdrawn position is engaged by the bifurcated end 51a of a plate 51 secured tothe plate 28. In the last mentioned position the projection 45a operatesa switch 52 which is electrically connected with the magnets 53, 54 (FIG. 1) which serve for operating a cutting device 55 (FIG. 5) and thefolding device 56(FIG. 1).

As shownin FIG. 5 a support plate 57 is secured tothe plate 28 which presents a block 57a. into which extends two slide bars 58, which at the other end thereof are connected by means of a member 58a. A slide member 59 is mounted upon the slide bars 58-which carries the upper cutting member 55a of, the cutter 55. The bottom cutter 55b is mounted for pivotal movement about a bolt 60 on the slide member 59 and is connected with a lever 61 which has an elongated slotted recess (not shown) into which extends a bolt 62a of a double armed lever 63 which is pivotally supported on a.

bolt 62 secured to the slide member 59. The lever 63 has an arcuated end 63a which is engaged by a roller- 64 provided at one end of a double armed lever 65. The lever 65 is mounted for pivotal movement about a bolt secured to the arm 3 of the machine and is pivotally connected at its other end with the draw bar 53a of the electromagnet 53 mentioned hereinabove.

A pull spring 67 extending between the block 571: and,

the slide member 59 pulls the slide member 59 together with the cutter 55 against a plate 63 which is slidingly received on one of the slide bars 58 and which is connected with a pressure spring 69 which at the other end is com nected with a sleeve 70 on the slide bar 58.

Finally at the outer end of the plate 28- as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 an angular member 71 is provided on which a ribbon guiding assembly 72 is arranged which.

consists essentially of two sheets of metal. A thread is cut. into angular member 71 through which a screw 73 is turned which acts upon the. metal sheet 7201.. A pressure spring 74 is inserted between the screw 73 and the angular member 71.

The sewing machine described above operates as follows: Prior to the start of an operating cycle the presser foot lifting bar 7 is raised by a magnet which is not shown, and this results in theslide member 10 with the presser foot 8 which is connected thereto being raised by way of the stud 9. Besides, the spring 20 presses against the slide member 17 causing the folding template 18 to be pushed into the position shown in FIG. 2 directly below the raised presser foot 8. The spring 21 establishes a force transmitting connection between the folding template 1 8 and.

pull up its armature which defines control member 36, so'

that the two switching cams 38 and 29 move upwardly. The roller 35a of the angular lever 35 biased by the pressure spring 33a extends into the path of movement of the switching cam 39 causing the lever to rotate to the right about the support bolt 35a. This causes the holding member 33 which is linked to the angular lever 35 and supported against the tilting lever 30 to move downwardly. The tilting lever 30 absorbs this pressure and transmits it to the lever 29 which is pivotally movable about the bolt 29b and which then presses down the bolt 19 secured to the slide member 13 by means of its bifurcated end 29a. In this manner the slide member 13 moves downwardly in the sliding track provided in the material presser support head 12a thereby pressing the folding template 18 upon the stitch plate 2n.

At the same time the disc shaped switching cam 38 has engaged the stud 41b from the bottom thereby imparting a rocking movement towards the left to the angular lever 41 about support bolt 40. This causes the carriage 42 to slide in the direction of the presser foot 8 under the pressure of the stud 42a which is in engagement with the slot 41a. As soon as the projection 45a of the screw 4501 has left the bifurcated recess 51m in the plate 51 the support plate 48 moves downwardly onto the folding template 1 8 effecting movement about the threaded bolt 44, and assurnes at the end of the carriage movement the position indicated in FIG. 4. The simultaneous advancing of the ribbon strip 47 during this advancing movement is insured by the fact that the spring biased scanning blade 50a linked to the carriage 42 rests against the raised woven transverse strip 47a and thus pulls along the ribbon strip 47.

During the last phase of the carriage advancement the actuating bolt 42b has reached the lever arm 30]; of the tilting lever 30 and caused it to effect a pivotal movement to the left about the threaded bolt 30a. As shown in FIG. 3 the upper edge of the tilting lever arrives outside of the path of movement of the holding member 33 so that there is no longer any force opposing the pull spring 21. The pull spring 21 draws the slide member 13 and thus also the folding template 18 upwardly and now presses the latter firmly against the support plate 48 (FIG. 3) whereby the support plate 48 is pivotally moved about the point 44 and upwardly parallel to the material presser foot 8 and to the folding template =18.

In this position of the ribbon strip feeding means magnet 37 is deprived of current, and the torsion spring 40a imparts a rocking movement towards the right to angular lever 41 so that due to the carriage 42 the support plate 48 leaves its position intermediate the folding template and the material presser foot and returns to its initial position (FIG. 1). The label strip 47, however, remains tensioned between the folding template and the presser foot.

Thereupon the magnet 53 is excited by way of the switch 52, the armature 53 is pulled in and imparts a rocking movement towards the left to the double armed lever 65 about the pivot 56 so that the roller 64 is pressed against lever 63. This causes first the slide member 59 to be pulled forwardly in the direction of the label strip and secondly the movement of the lower cutter 5511 against the upper cutter 55a due to the pivotal movement of the stud 62a. The tag strip 47 is thereby cut off, whereupon the cutter 55 is withdrawn by the pull spring 6 7.

The magnet 54 is now excited causing in a known manner the folding operation of the ends of the cut off name tag which extend over the folding template 18. Finally the circuit of the magnet which operates the presser bar 7 (not shown) is interrupted, causing the folding template, the name tag which is folded in, the folding means and the presser foot to be lowered onto the stitch plate 2a.. Thereupon the folding means are raised in a known manner, and as the machine is switched on by means of the switch lever 27 the folding template 1-8 is withdrawn by way of bars 26, 25 and 24. The sewing operation may now start.

Having now described my invention with reference to the embodiment illustrated, I do not wish to be limited thereto, but what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Sewing machine for sewing on pieces of material such :as name tags, which are formed in a continuous ribbon and fed under the raised presser foot of the machine at time intervals coinciding with the operating cycle of the machine, said machine having a machine arm including a head supporting a presser foot lifting bar, a presser foot operatively linked to said lifting bar, a base portion having a stitch plate disposed below said presser foot, a feeding carriage slidably supported on slide members extending between and transversely of said head and said base portion, said carriage having a supporting arm extending therefrom, a feeding plate for carrying one end of said ribbon, a bolt having a projection extending from said arm and pivotally supporting said feeding plate on said arm, a stationary operating means mounted substantially parallel to said slide members having a bifurcated end engageable by said bolt projection, a switch disposed proximate said bifurcated member, an electromagnet responsive to the operation of said switch having an armature defining operating means, a spring biased two armed angular lever having one arm op erati-vely related to the operating means of said electromagnet and another arm in sliding engagement with said carriage, said angular lever being operative in response to operation of said switch and thereby said magnet to move said carriage and thereby place said feeding plate with said ribbon in oblique position intermediate said stitch plate and said presser foot.

2. Sewing machine for sewing on pieces of material such as name tags, which are formed in a continuous ribbon and fed under the raised presser foot of the machine at time intervals coinciding with the operating cycle of the machine, said machine having a machine arm including a head supporting a presser foot lifting bar, a presser foot operatively linked to said lifting bar, a base portion having a stitch plate disposed below said presser foot, a feeding carriage slidably supported on slide members extending between and transversely of said head and said base portion, said carriage having a supporting arm extending therefrom, a feeding plate for carrying one end of said ribbon, a bolt having a projection extending from said arm and pivotally supporting said feeding plate on said arm, a stationary operating means mounted substantially parallel to said slide members having a bifurcated end engageable by said bolt projection, a switch disposed proximate said bifurcated member, an electromagnet responsive to the operation of said switch having an armature defining operating means, a spring biased two-armed angular lever having one arm operatively related to the operating means of said electromagnet and another arm in sliding engagement with said carriage, said angular lever being operative in response to operation of said switch and thereby said magnet to move said carriage and thereby place said feeding plate with said ribbon in oblique position intermediate said stitch plate and said presser foot, said machine including a retractable template having a portion movable into position intermediate said stitch plate and said presser foot to hold said ribbon against said presser foot, a cutting device disposed adjacent said template and operative in a direction transversely of said ribbon, a folding device having members movable over the ends [of said template to fold the ends of said ribbon downwardly upon withdrawal of said feeding plate by said spring biased angular lever, a spring biased holding device including a latch member, a bell crank lever having one arm linked to said latch member and an arm movable by said armature to move said latch member and a two-armed tilting lever, said tilting lever being spring biased into engagement with said latch member, one arm of said tilting lever being operativ ely linked to said template to hold said template in engagement with said presser foot, said carriage having an actuating bolt, and the other arm of said tilting lever extending into the last section of the path of movement of said actuating bolt to release said latch member upon engagement by said actuating bolt and raise said template against said presser foot.

3. Sewing machine for sewing on pieces of material such as name tags, which are formed in a continuous ribbon and fed under the raised presser foo-t of the machine at time intervals coinciding with the operating cycle of the machine, said machine having a machine arm including a head supporting a presser foot lifting bar, a presser foo-t operatively linked to said lifting bar, a base portion having a stitch plate disposed below said presser foot, a feeding carriage slidalbly supported on slide members extending between and transversely of said head and '7 said base portion, said carriage having a supporting arm extending therefrom, a feeding plate for carrying one end of said ribbon, a bolt having a projection extending from said arm and pivotally supporting said feeding plate on said arm, a stationary operating means mounted substantially parallel to said slide members having a bifurcated end engageable by said bolt projection, a switch disposed proximate said bifurcated member, an electromagnet responsiveto the operation of said switch having an armature defining operating means, a spring biased two-armed angular lever having one arm operatively related to the operating means of said electromagnet and another arm in sliding engagement with said carriage, said angular lever being operative in response to operation of said switch and thereby said magnet to move said carriage and thereby place said feeding plate with said ribbon in oblique position intermediate said stitch plate and said presser foot, said machine including a retractable template having a portion movable into position intermediate said stitch plate and said presser foot to hold saidribbon against said presser foot, a cut-ting device disposed adjacent said template and operative in a direction transversely of said ribbon, a folding device having members movable over the ends of said template to fold the ends of said ribbon downwardly upon withdrawal of said feeding plate by said spring biased angular lever, a spring biased holding device including a latchmember, a bell crank lever having one arm linked to said latch member and an arm movable by said armature to move said latch member and a tWo ar-med tilting lever, said tilting lever being spring biased into engagement with said latch member, one arm of said tilting-lever being operatively linked to said template to hold said template in engagement with said presser foot, said carriage having an actuating bolt, and the other arm of said tilting lever extending into the last section of the path of movement of said actuating bolt to release said latch member upon engagement by said actuating bolt and raise said template against said presser foot, the armature of. said electromagnet defining a pair of cam members or the like, one said cam member being openative to move said two armed angular lever and thereby said carriage, the other said cam member being operative to move said bell crank lever and trip said latch member.

References Citedtin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. SEWING MACHINE FOR SEWING ON PIECES OF MATERIAL SUCH AS NAME TAGS, WHICH ARE FORMED IN A CONTINUOUS RIBBON AND FED UNDER THE RAISED PRESSER FOOT OF THE MACHINE AT TIME INTERVALS COINCIDING WITH THE OPERATING CYCLE OF THE MACHINE, SAID MACHINE HAVING A MACHINE ARM INCLUDING A HEAD SUPPORTING A PRESSER FOOT LIFTING BAR, A PRESSER FOOT OPERATIVELY LINKED TO SAID LIFTING BAR, A BASE PORTION HAVING A STITCH PLATE DISPOSED BELOW SAID PRESSER FOOT, A FEEDING CARRIAGE SLIDEABLY SUPPORTED ON SLIDE MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID HEAD AND SAID BASE PORTION, SAID CARRIAGE HAVING A SUPPORTING ARM EXTENDING THEREFROM, A FEEDING PLATE FOR CARRYING ONE END OF SAID RIBBON, A BOLT HAVING A PROJECTION EXTENDING FROM SAID ARM AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID FEEDING PLATE ON SAID ARM, A STATIONARY OPERATING MEANS MOUNTED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SLIDE MEMBERS HAVING A BIFURCATED END ENGAGEABLE BY SAID BOLT PROJECTION, A SWITCH DISPOSED PROXIMATE SAID BIFURCATED MEMBER, AN ELECTROMAGNET RESPONSIVE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID SWITCH HAVING AN ARMATURE DEFINING OPERATING MEANS, A SPRING BIASED TWO-ARMED ANGULAR LEVER HAVING ONE ARM OPERATIVELY RELATED TO THE OPERATING MEANS OF SAID ELECTROMAGNET AND ANOTHER ARM IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CARRIAGE, SAID ANGULAR LEVER BEING OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO OPERATION OF SAID SWITCH AND THEREBY SAID MAGNET TO MOVE SAID CARRIAGE AND THEREBY PLACE SAID FEEDING PLATE WITH SAID RIBBON IN OBLIQUE POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID STITCH PLATE AND SAID PRESSER FOOT. 